The Herald-News Prep Football Preview for Week 3 of the 2024 season

Southwest Valley Red

Lincoln-Way West (2-0, 1-0) at Metea Valley (1-1, 0-0)

When: 7 p.m. Friday

About the Warriors: Lincoln-Way West has been spreading the wealth this season and used that philosophy to separate itself from Andrew in Week 2. The Warriors led just 20-13 at the break but limited Andrew to one second-half touchdown while tacking on three more themselves. Four Warriors scored touchdowns, with two-score efforts being turned in by Jahan Abubakar and DeAndre Coates.

About the Mustangs: Metea Valley burst out of the gates in a Week 2 matchup with Plainfield Central building a 17-0 lead after the first quarter and then rolling to a comfortable win to even out its record. QB Jake MacLeod has been steady for the Mustangs to start the season and recorded four touchdown passes in the Plainfield Central victory. Metea is showing significant progress from last year’s 0-9 effort, but this will be a great measuring stick game to see how far the team really has come.

Friday Night Drive pick: Lincoln-Way West

Southwest Valley crossover

Lincoln-Way East (2-0) at Stagg (2-0)

When: 7 p.m. Friday

About the Griffins: Lincoln-Way East is coming off something relatively rare – a bye week. The Griffins were scheduled to play a team from Florida in the East St. Louis Jamboree in Week 2, but that team declined to fulfill the game contract, and the Griffins received a forfeit win. Opponents are likely hoping the week off led to Lincoln-Way East cooling its offensive jets a bit, but with the litany of weapons Lincoln-Way East has at its disposal led by Oregon-bound QB Jonas Williams, that doesn’t seem likely.

About the Chargers: Stagg is off to its second consecutive year with a strong start (last year they opened 3-0 before entering conference play), but the level of competition from Weeks 1 and 2 to Week 3 might be the most dramatic shift in level of competition for any team in the state. Stagg is a massive underdog here but likely hopes whatever happens in this one doesn’t spark a tailspin similar to last season when the Chargers started 3-0, then dropped their last six games.

FND pick: Lincoln-Way East

Lockport (1-1) at Neuqua Valley (0-2)

When: 7 p.m. Friday

About the Porters: Lockport has had a pair of fast starts in games this season and then had to scratch and claw to try to hang out. That blueprint worked in the season opener in a win over Plainfield North, but couldn’t be repeated in Week 2 as Wheaton North converted a risky 2-point conversion with just over two minutes to play to emerge with a one-point win. Lockport scored on its first two possessions of the game, but wouldn’t score again until just over three minutes remained. RB Johnny Wesolowski had his second consecutive strong game, rushing for 123 yards on 23 carries with two scores.

About the Wildcats: Neuqua Valley lost a heartbreaker in Week 2 with a last-second made field goal by Minooka sending them to 0-2. The Wildcats have scuffled so far this season on offense with just 20 points scored through two games. That’s something they are going to have to correct in a hurry, as the schedule gets no easier for them over the next few weeks.

FND Pick: Lockport

Naperville North (1-1) at Lincoln-Way Central (1-1)

When: 7 p.m. Friday

About the Huskies: Naperville North was yet another team whose fate was decided by a late field goal, as they dropped a decision to fierce rival Naperville Central. The Huskies have been pretty potent on offense thus far. QB Jacob Bell threw for well over 300 yards and three touchdowns, including two to Plainfield East transfer WR Quinn Morris, who along with teammate Chico Thomas both racked up over 100 yards receiving in the narrow loss.

About the Knights: Lincoln-Way Central had a brutal first half in the “Route 30 Super Bowl” against Providence and wasn’t able to overcome a lack of offense and a costly miscue. A stronger second half was provided by the Knights, as a pair of touchdown passes from Drew Woodburn helped the Knights pull within a field goal, but they would get no closer in a 23-14 loss.

FND Pick: Lincoln-Way Central

Southwest Prairie Crossover

Oswego East (0-2) at Plainfield East (0-2)

When: 7 p.m. Thursday

About the Wolves: Oswego East finds itself at 0-2, but it feels like the defensive unit is where it needs to be to be a competitive team moving forward. Miscues outside the defense seem to be the only way teams can manage to get many points off the Wolves, as they’ve allowed just three touchdowns, two of which came when opponents were gifted short fields. Oswego East’s offense has shown flashes but not much consistency. RB Zamarion Taylor is a player Plainfield East must account for.

About the Bengals: Plainfield East’s first two opponents, Bradley-Bourbonnais and Waubonsie Valley, have run rings around the Bengals in the first two weeks of the campaign, as Plainfield East has surrendered at least 50 points to each of them. Defensive playmaking has been something Plainfield East has struggled mightily with the past few seasons and at least early on this fall that the Bengals have been unable to solve. This game has been moved to Thursday night.

FND Pick: Oswego East

Yorkville (0-2) at Joliet West (1-1)

When: 6:30 p.m. Friday

About the Foxes: Yorkville has anchored its success over the past few seasons on a strong defensive unit, and that still seems to be in play for the Foxes, but the offense is really struggling to find its footing through the first two games of the season. Yorkville has managed just one touchdown in its first two contests and was particularly stymied by Plainfield South in the first week of the season in a shutout loss.

About the Tigers: Joliet West didn’t get the result it was hoping for against Morris in Week 2, but it certainly showed it has plenty of mettle. After falling behind 14-0, Joliet West rallied to get back in the game largely due to its relentless defensive effort. The Tigers netted five sacks in the game against Morris, three by Sedrick Love. Joliet West took a brief third-quarter lead against Morris, the only team to beat Joliet West in the regular season in 2023, but Morris broke down the Tigers with 17 unanswered points.

FND Pick: Joliet West

Bolingbrook (0-2) at Romeoville (1-1)

When: 7 p.m. Friday

About the Raiders: It has been nearly a decade since nearby rivals Bolingbrook and the Spartans have met, and the Raiders hope getting reacquainted with their new conference – the Southwest Prairie – goes a bit better than the nonconference slate has. Two games in, Bolingbrook has really struggled to keep opponents off the scoreboard. At 0-2, the two crossover games before entering divisional play in the SPC have suddenly added significance for Bolingbrook in its quest to get back into the playoff conversation.

About the Spartans: Even though Romeoville is just 1-1 it is off to one of its better starts in recent memory. The Spartans picked up a win in their season opener and came within a touchdown of moving to 2-0 before being fended off by Tinley Park. Excluding the COVID-shortened season, Romeoville hasn’t won more than one game in a season since 2017 and hasn’t made a playoff field since 2013. If the Spartans could manage to pull off a win here, they’d take major strides in the program’s direction moving forward.

FND Pick: Bolingbrook

Minooka (2-0) at Joliet Central (0-2)

When: 7 p.m. Friday

About the Indians: Minooka showed a flair for the dramatic in Week 2, as Sean Sample booted a game-winning field goal for the Indians as they fended off Neuqua Valley. The 2-0 start is right where Minooka wants to be, looking for an unbeaten first third of the season if it can take care of business this Friday.

About the Steelmen: Joliet Central has managed to score points at a much higher rate than in recent seasons in the early-going of contests, but in each of the Steelmen’s two losses, Joliet Central has faded considerably in the second half. Until Joliet Central can figure out how to best put forth a four-quarter effort that resembles its first halves, it is going to be tough for Central to stop being on the wrong side of the win/loss ledger.

FND Pick: Minooka

Oswego (2-0) at Plainfield Central (0-2)

When: 7 p.m. Friday

About the Panthers: A lot of people were surprised with the ease that Oswego dispatched Joliet Catholic in Week 2, but don’t count the members of the Oswego roster among them. This is clearly an Oswego team that believes it can compete with anyone, particularly on the defensive side of the football where it held Joliet Catholic to just 148 total yards. The linebacking trio of Carson Cooney, Easton Ruby and Michael Claycombe anchor those efforts as part of a unit that has smothered everything opponents have thrown at it. The Panthers have allowed just seven points through two weeks.

About the Wildcats: Plainfield Central has not gotten out of the blocks well. Not only have the Wildcats dropped the first two games of the campaign to Waukegan and Metea Valley, expectations weren’t particularly high for either of the programs that they lost to, as those programs went a combined 1-17 a year ago. This isn’t exactly an ideal opponent for the Plainfield Central offense to get on a positive tract, as Oswego has a clearly defined defensive muscle that almost any opponent is going to have trouble with.

FND Pick: Oswego

Plainfield North (0-2) at Plainfield South (2-0)

When: 7 p.m. Friday

About the Tigers: Plainfield North has played a strong nonconference schedule in recent seasons, and last year that practice benefitted them when schedule strength got it into the playoffs as a four-win team. Although it’s still early and that practice still remains, opening with Lockport and York, the Tigers hope they can turn thing around so that they don’t have to benefit from it again. Plainfield North’s offense has been up-and-down to start the season, but the combination of QB Justus Byrd and WR Omar Coleman has proved potent. The Tigers defense needs to do a better job of putting the clamps down moving forward.

About the Cougars: Plainfield South hasn’t won at Plainfield North since 2018, but probably enters this game with the most confidence in a while they can achieve against their district rival. Plainfield South’s defense has been stellar through the first two games, and while the offense is a step behind that right now, they are finding ways to scratch and claw out victories. Sometimes, that’s half the battle. QB Cody Hogan has shown up as a quality run/pass threat for the Cougars.

FND Pick: Plainfield North

CCL/ESCC crossover

Carmel (1-1) at Providence (1-1)

When: 7 p.m. Friday

About the Corsairs: Carmel has gone under a revolution since former Chicago Bear Jason McKie took over the program, guiding the Corsairs to the Class 5A quarterfinals in his third year on the job. Carmel entered the season with a lot of buzz, as heavily recruited sophomore Trae Taylor takes over the reins of the offense, but the Corsairs took what could be classified as a surprising loss to Lake Forest in Week 2. Carmel has plenty of weapons to deploy, including last year’s CCL/ESCC Purple Co-Most Valuable Player RB Donovan Dey, it just seems the Corsairs aren’t quite firing on all cylinders.

About the Celtics: Providence still seems to be finding its way, particularly on offense, although QB Leo Slepski did have a solid effort in the Celtics’ Week 2 victory over Lincoln-Way Central. Providence seems reliant on its defense and special teams to play a part in putting up some points for the effort, and while that wouldn’t work for most teams, Providence – like the Chicago Bears – does seem to have an incredible knack for having exactly that happen on a regular basis.

FND Pick: Carmel

Fenwick (2-0) at Joliet Catholic (1-1)

When: 7:30 p.m. Friday

About the Friars: Fenwick appears to have righted things after finishing below .500 last season and missing the playoffs for the first time during Matt Battaglia’s run as head coach. Fenwick isn’t that far removed from a 2021 Class 5A state championship, and it certainly has elite talent at its disposal in defensive lineman Nathaniel Marshall, an Auburn commit, who also lines up as a wide receiver/tight end at times to create matchup issues for any defense. Marshall is not alone amongst Fenwick returners, as seven other defensive returners from last year join Marshall.

About the Hilltoppers: Joliet Catholic ran into a brick wall known as the Oswego defense in Week 2, but it is hard to believe the Hilltoppers won’t find their way back to offensive respectability in relatively short order. Joliet Catholic, like every other CCL/ESCC team, now needs to try to find a way to string some league wins together in a circumstance that frankly isn’t that easy to do. That’s got to start with Joliet Catholic’s multi-pronged rushing attack that stacked up over 300 rushing yards alone in the Week 1 win over Iowa City, but mustered barely over 100 total yards in the shutout loss to Oswego.

FND Pick: Joliet Catholic

South Suburban Blue

Tinley Park (2-0) at Lemont (0-2)

When: 7 p.m. Friday

About the Titans: Tinley Park has gone in the opposite direction with their scheduling philosophy, as while the Titans are 2-0, the programs they defeated haven’t been very successful in recent seasons. The Titans did, however, beat the teams put in front of them, and QB Keoni George will look to lead the Titans to a more significant win in Week 3.

About Lemont: It is easy to look at Lemont’s rough start to the season with back-to-back lopsided losses to Geneva and Libertyville and have concerns moving forward. But a strong case can be made both of those teams are worthy of top rankings, so while Lemont’s losses certainly aren’t welcomed by the program, things will almost certainly get better for them in the South Suburban Conference, a league in which they’ve been a dominant team for years.

FND Pick: Lemont

Nonconference

Peoria High (2-0) at Morris (2-0)

When: 7 p.m. Friday

About the Lions: Peoria is off to a good start under a new coach and is still scoring points in bunches. It remains to be seen if the Lions will reach the epic offensive levels they did under former coach Tim Thornton, who moved onto another coaching position in Florida. Morris fans probably remember Thornton’s 2022 team not so fondly, as in that year’s playoffs Peoria High posted 76 points to beat Morris by 20 in a shootout.

About Morris: Morris got a little bit of a scare thrown into them by a Joliet West squad that hung around until Morris gained some separation in the fourth quarter. Morris lost some key offensive players to graduation last year, but it hasn’t really skipped a beat with QB Brady Varner, RB Griffin Zweeres and WR Jack Wheeler excelling in those roles currently. Morris still looks like their are going to be a factor in whatever postseason class it lands in, either 4A or 5A.

FND Pick: Morris

Dwight (2-0) at Aurora Central Catholic (1-1)

When: 7 p.m. Friday

About the Trojans: Dwight has been absolutely dominant thus far, absolutely steamrolling its way to a 51-8 victory over St. Edward in Week 2. That was preceded by another easy win for the Trojans over Dakota in Week 1. With close than 100 points posted, it is clear that Dwight’s experienced offensive unit has found a nice little groove for itself.

About the Chargers: Aurora Central Catholic is playing a bit of an eclectic schedule as an independent but has found several dates filled against Chicagoland Prairie teams, but will also play two games against Wisconsin teams and another against an fledgling Illinois program that only currently has one scheduled varsity game (Westminster Christian). These two teams already have a common opponent as Aurora Central Catholic beat St. Edward in Week 1, but found the sledding more difficult than Dwight did in a 20-8 win.

FND Pick: Dwight

Illinois Central Eight

Coal City (1-1) at Streator (1-1)

When: 7 p.m. Friday

About the Coalers: Coal City bounced back in a big way from a loss to Morris in Week 1 with a comfortable win over Canton. Coal City now enters league play with an experience-laden roster prepared to go on a bit of a run in a league that is usually a two-horse race between the Coalers and Wilmington.

About the Bulldogs: Streator was competitive in its Week 2 rivalry clash with Ottawa, but the Pirates ran away with the contest in the fourth quarter and dropped the Bulldogs back to the .500 mark. RB Jordan Lukes has been very productive with a 150-yard game at Decatur Eisenhower and a 146-yard rushing effort against Ottawa, but he might not find a lot of running lanes against this week’s opponent. Coal City has a long history of being stout against the running game.

FND Pick: Coal City

Reed-Custer (0-2) at Peotone (2-0)

When: 7 p.m. Friday

About the Comets: Reed-Custer came up just short against a resurgent Harvard program, falling 21-14. Reed-Custer started well, recovering an onside kick and scoring on a Brady Tyree run shortly thereafter, and QB Jacob Reardon broke off a 40-yard touchdown run in the first half, but after that early surge Reed-Custer’s offense was silenced.

About the Blue Devils: Peotone jumped out early and took control of its Week 2 win over Marengo, getting yet another strong performance from Chase Rivera (21 carries, 129 yards, two touchdowns). FB Connor Pasch also added a pair of touchdown runs, as it looks like the Blue Devils already have their ground game operating in midseason form. QB Ruben Velasco tossed a touchdown pass and picked off his counterpart while performing double duty in the Peotone secondary.

FND Pick: Peotone

Wilmington (2-0) at Lisle (0-2)

When: 7 p.m. Friday

About the Wildcats: Wilmington was absolutely dominant in its Week 2 win over Sandwich, as the running clock was put into action for the entire second half. Wilmington’s powerful running attack gained nearly 10 yards per attempt in the win, with RB Kyle Farrell doing most of the damage. Farrell finished with 169 yards and four touchdowns on just 11 carries. Wilmington’s defense also thrived, holding Sandwich to just 133 total yards – almost all of which came in the second half.

About the Lions: Very, very little has gone right for Lisle to start the season, which doesn’t bode well as it welcomes the league’s most dominant force to town. Lisle has scored just seven points all season while surrendering 82, and a roster that is short on players doesn’t make for an ideal matchup with Wilmington, which tends to thrive on wearing down the opposition.

FND Pick: Wilmington

Chicagoland Prairie

Seneca (2-0) at Marquette (1-1)

When: 7 p.m. Friday

About the Fighting Irish: Some different pieces in the backfield for Seneca this season, but the same results seem to be coming out of the vaunted Seneca running attack. The Fighting Irish started quickly in their Week 2 win over Lisle, getting an early touchdown from Brody Rademacher to set the tone for a lopsided win where Seneca ultimately posted nearly 400 rushing yards. Even more remarkable is how Seneca has reassembled the offense behind an entirely new crew of blockers.

About the Crusaders: Like Seneca, Marquette is very partial to the running attack, as the Cru had two 100-yard rushers in a comfortable win over downstate Madison in Week 2. Grant Dose and Payton Gutierrez each broke the century mark in the Madison win and are just two pieces in the multi-back, wing-T attack the Crusaders prefer. QB Anthony Couch is also capable of putting it in the air for Marquette, having already made three touchdown connections with TE Keaton Davis.

FND Pick: Seneca